ruffler

noun

ruf·​fler

-f(ə)lə(r)

plural -s

1

archaic : a vagabond rogue or beggar of the 16th century often professing to be an injured soldier

2

: a swaggering roistering fellow

strut like the bold rufflers they fancied themselves to be

—T. B. Costain

3

: disturber

a great ruffler of pat orthodoxies

4

: a sewing-machine attachment for making ruffles

Word History

Etymology

ruffle entry 1 + -er

First Known Use

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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